Centerspace
by sadistic lunatic
Summary: So, 'Inter' 'Dimensional' 'Rift'. Nothing can ever go wrong with a name like that. Poking it with a shiny, pointy sword will obviously close that damnable tear in space, right? A Space-Timetravel piece. - Crackfic. Not to be taken seriously -


**Disclaimer:** I only own my original characters. Square Enix owns everything else.

Yes, Indurrago, I have delved into the Harem route.

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><p>It all started when Lightning and her band of not-quite martyrs attempted to close the Interdimensional Rift in the Empyreal Paradox, the gateway where the crystalline manikins spilled-over to wreak havoc in Cosmos' ranks.<p>

In hindsight, perhaps it wasn't such a good idea to toss her weapon into such a gateway- especially one that had the words 'inter' and 'dimensional' in its name- but in Lightning's defense, she had, not for the first time, acted without thinking of the consequences when faced with insurmountable odds.

Move by instinct her ass.

She hadn't known what to expect, though the hopeful part of her hoped that her reckless throw would somehow close the damn breach in space.

So, when a bright flash suddenly illuminated her world, and she gave one last triumphant look even as the manikins approached and her strength almost gave out, she hadn't expected the explosion that rocked the crystalline army's ranks.

Nor the odd battle cry that followed.

"ATTAAAAAAAACK!"

Roars and cheers and explosions and gunfire and metal against manikins filled the clearing. By the sound of it, whoever was flanking the crystalline army was not alone, and whatever group they were, they were not pushovers.

Needless to say, despite the sheer numbers the replicas had possessed, they were ill-prepared for the onslaught by the unknown group.

Stubbornly refusing to fall when such an unexpected turn of events was taking place, the l'Cie threw her weight backwards as she fell on her ass, her body supported by an arm as she fought the darkness that was dancing at the edges of her sight, squinting as she focused on the storm that plowed through the manikins.

"Medic!" she identified the caller as the woman that gave the earlier war cry. "Any medic here? !"

"I-I am!" A different voice spoke up, sounding frantic and less composed than the previous.

"There are injured!" Even in her heavily fatigued state, Lightning could still feel the ripple of power that surged through the air before what her muddled mind could only describe as pillars of hellfire erupted from the ground, incinerating those replicas unlucky enough to get caught by the fiery towers. "Good, everyone keep up the pace! You, medic, follow me!"

"Y-yes!"

"Who made you boss?"

"Just fight!"

Another explosion, and Lightning's eyes widened slightly when she registered a massive dome of electricity suspend the manikins in mid-air, not unlike the gravity tech she was so fond of using, before shadowy figures darted through the parted sea of crystal soldiers and headed her way.

"Heal them!" the one in the lead barked before abruptly stopping and turning, and the l'Cie could make out the girl's black trench coat flutter to a standstill before she slammed her fist against the incoming face of one of her pursuers, pink hair not having time to settle as the unknown girl exploded into action, drawing the weapon Lightning had carelessly tossed into the rift with clearly practiced ease as she held her ground.

"Stay calm, I'm here to help." A low voice asked her carefully, and Lightning realized how engrossed she must have been at the sudden arrival of her reinforcements that she hadn't noticed the medic crouching next to her. "Can you hear me?"

Worried blue eyes filled her vision as the young man peered into her irises, no doubt searching for a reaction, as his hands glowed with a cool energy, scanning to ascertain the extent of her injuries.

"Patch…up." She replied hoarsely, trying to prod the man into action.

Lightning wouldn't allow herself to just sit in the sidelines, and who knows how long these newcomers would be able to hold up? The strawberry blonde l'Cie definitely wasn't taking any chances.

The brunet in front of her pursed his lips and Lightning couldn't help but wonder where exactly she'd seen that frown from. "You're always so demanding. This isn't easy, you know?"

Lightning glared as hard as she could, ignoring the familiarity in the man's tone. "Just…do it…!"

"Fine." The man pressed his hands against her heart and begun chanting his spell.

The l'Cie's eyes widened suddenly when a dark shadow darted towards them alarmingly.

"Watch out!"

To his credit, the medic didn't pause in his chanting but instead raised one hand in the air and Lightning felt a sudden surge in magick, just as the Fleeting Flash collided with a shimmering wall.

"Sorry!" The pink-haired girl shouted back at the pair. "There's too many of them!"

"Keep focused!" Another voice shouted. "I'm here now, sis!"

Another figure blazed into her now clearing vision- whatever the man healing her was doing, it was working- and pointed her guns at the incoming crowd. "Die! Die, die, die, die!"

Gunpowder filled the air as the cackling brunette unloaded her metallic madness at the unprepared horde, thinning the ranks of the rift's organic crystal escapees.

"Watch it!" An annoyed voice shouted. "We're still in here!"

"_ANGER!_"

"Then get out of the way!" The brunette screamed. There was a pause in her bullet's rhythm as she reloaded. "Here comes another!"

And with that, the Lightning's ears were once more filled with the deafening booms of exploding gunpowder.

"I'm fine." Lightning grasped the teen's shoulders, staring into his blue eyes imposingly. "Go. Help the others." She motioned to her fallen comrades and hope they were not beyond healing.

The medic looked conflicted at her order before reluctantly conceding.

"…Alright."

The brunet had the decency to help her up, and Lightning found that they stood eye to eye, before moving on to the rest of his patients.

The two sisters in front of her noticed her approach, and the pink-haired teen glanced at her commandingly.

"You- you should stay down!" The strawberry blonde broke off from her melee, jumping backwards with a flip to land beside the l'Cie. "You're still hurt-"

"Give me my weapon." Lightning cut her off gruffly, extending her hand, her eyes trained at the skirmish before her like a falcon in search of its prey. "The rift; it needs to be closed."

"We know that." The brunette replied snidely. "But what are you planning to do?"

Lightning bit her lip, partly in thought but mostly to prevent her from barking back harshly at the younger girl's tone. The newcomers were able to buy her time to think, and she realized that she really hadn't thought this siege through. How exactly was she planning on closing the rift? It was a tear in space and time; it clearly wasn't something she could just bury her metal in, if these newcomers were any proof.

"Such fools." Another voice piped in.

The three women looked up just as yet another of the new warriors floated lazily in place, resting her head against her folded arm like a pillow as she laid down on her side in mid-air.

"Ultime-" Lightning bit her tongue to prevent from lashing out. On careful glance, while the young woman in the red, fur-lined dress, closely resembled the minion of Chaos, there were also stark differences.

For one, this silver-haired woman did not possess any of the time witch's distinct anatomy, and instead harbored normal limbs. She also hadn't worn her hair in that ridiculous style the Sorceress so chose, and neither was her hair as long, though she couldn't tell its exact length while the curtain of silver danced in the wind. There were also no markings to be found on the woman's exposed skin, so unlike the Sorceress. Nevertheless, her lips were twisted in that same condescending smile as her blue eyes- a shade that had her mind wracking for answers as she knew she had seen that look before- gazing at them disinterestedly.

"Hello to you too, _Light_." She stretched with cat-like grace to reposition herself in the air, crossing one leg over the other as if she was sitting on a ledge. "Quite the quandary you have landed yourself in."

"Are you just going to float around all day, or are you going to help us?" The strawberry blonde girl asked in annoyance, pointing Lightning's blazefire saber at the lazy figure.

"Silly girl, do you even realize _when_ and where we are?" Glaciers shimmered idly as the woman in red twirled her hair around her fingers. "You are just like me, are you not? Tampering with powers beyond yourself and then getting drawn into this world when you tried to satisfy your curiosity. Tell me, was there a tear in space where you come from?"

"That's classified information." The brunette pointed her gun warningly at the young woman in red. "Fight alongside us, or get the _hell_ out of our way!"

"Raine!" The strawberry blonde shouted admonishingly at her sister's confrontational remarks.

For her part, Lightning chose to remain silent as she processed what was going on.

"What? You were doing the same thing too!"

"I was trying to grab her attention! Not start a fight!"

"Hnn… it must be nice to have siblings."

A roar sounded, reminding the gathered foursome of women that there was still a battle raging on, just as another shout came from the brawl. "A little help here, guys?"

Lightning snapped to attention and she unfolded her arms. "You," she placed a firm hand on her fellow strawberry blonde's shoulders. "Stop bickering and give me back my weapon. If you're here to help, then stop talking and fight."

To her credit, the young girl returned her stare without flinching.

"I'm keeping this." She spoke adamantly. "You need to rest; we can handle this."

"Like hell you can!" The l'Cie snarled and was about to knock the jaw off the uncooperative girl's face when she felt a gun click warningly at her.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The brunette, who Lightning identified as Raine, spoke warningly as she leveled her handgun at her head. She suddenly pulled the trigger in her other hand, managing to catch the head of an Idle Sky Pirate as it attempted to take its chances with its target's perceived distraction as it tried to sneak in from her peripheral vision. "Family or not, no one is hurting my sister."

The woman in red leered at them, her eyes sparkling with interest. "Oho~? I should have guessed, seeing you three together."

"Raine, _please_." The strawberry blonde in her grasp spoke pleadingly at her sibling as she tried to reason with her; all the while Lightning wondered what the brunette meant. "It's alright." Faster than the l'Cie could react, the younger woman shrugged off her grip but, instead of retaliating like she anticipated, jumped out of her reach-

Lightning's eyes widened in alarm.

"Behind-"

-and thrust her sword backwards, stabbing the hulking False Stalwart straight through the chest before she struck with a leg sweep, her black trench coat twirling around her with a flourish.

The l'Cie's eyes narrowed; her earlier assumption was correct. Despite their young looks, these newcomers were veterans of battle.

The pink-haired one, especially, had to be watched out for, as in such a short amount of time, she had taken command of the battlefield and seemed to know what exactly she was doing.

And she also still left the l'Cie weaponless.

"…Who are you, kid?" Lightning decided another approach.

For the first time since they met, a bright smile blossomed in the battlefield. "SeeD Commander Averia Leonhart, ready to bust some heads and cut loose," her blue eyes glanced to the pauldron Lightning wore. "Sergeant Lightning Farron."

SeeD? Leonhart?

An image of a brunet with disinterested blue eyes and a scar running down his forehead flashed through the l'Cie's mind.

"…Leonhart…as in, Squall?"

Averia chose not to respond, and instead leveled her gaze upwards at the floating woman. "You, _do_ you know how to close the rift, right?"

"Incoming!" Another voice suddenly warned just as hails of meteor began raining down on the gathered women.

"Pitiful." The silver-haired woman snapped her fingers and the burning rocks suddenly froze in place. She grinned maliciously at the three below her; Raine's eyes glimmered dangerously as she trained her weapon at her and the silver-haired woman could feel Lightning's glare as if the l'Cie was trying to bore holes into her skull.

Averia, on the other hand, just smiled warmly.

Unable to refuse returning the pink-haired teen's grin, she floated down to hover just inches above the ground of the Empyreal Paradox. "That answers your question?"

"No, not-" Lightning began when the girl she identified as Averia took the hand of the woman in red between her own, drawing a stunned expression from her widened blue eyes.

"Yes! Will you help us?"

"I-I… I suppose, if I must…" She blinked wondrously, feeling the heat escape from the strawberry blonde's gloves to seep into her own bare palms. Drawing her hands from the unusual warmth she ordered calmly. "You'll have to clear the way."

"And so I shall." Averia nodded her head, grinning with cool confidence. "What's your name?"

"It's," a brief pause, and Lightning realized the young silver haired woman had cut herself intentionally before she blurted whatever she hadn't wanted to say. "Selene." Pre-empting the slightly younger teen, she drew her hands back from Averia's warmth. "Just Selene."

Averia seemed pleased at the revelation but Lightning and Raine were not, the latter being most vocal of her ire. "Say it!"

"Raine…" Averia called her sister's name warmly. "You know where we are, right? Let's all get along with each other."

"But she's- Selene's-" The brunette spluttered.

"Selene has her reasons, don't you Selene?" She smiled disarmingly at the silver-haired woman, who turned her blue-eyed gaze away to stare at the battle raging onwards and, more specifically, the rift that glared angrily at the onlookers.

"Of course." Selene replied as if stating the obvious. _'Until my suspicions are tested, I cannot divulge that information.' _Her eyes swept at the numerous fighters that tore through the ranks of the manikins. _'Though in all likelihood, one of these imbeciles will no doubt stumble with their words. I can only pray that my paranoia is unfounded, for the fallout of this unmitigated disaster will either be humorous or dreadfully explosive, unless these buffoons have, at the very least, an iota of their father's discipline.'_

Selene's lips flattened wryly.

'_Would fate ever be so kind?'_

"Lightning." Averia spoke before blinking at the taste of the l'Cie's name. "_Sergeant Farron_," _'Better, but not quite.' _"Here" Lightning caught her weapon, her fist clenching around its hilt with fond familiarity. "You and Raine need to protect our medic and the rest of the fallen."

Lightning felt her patience running thin. "You can't order me around-"

"_Please_." Averia glanced at her pleadingly, making the elder pinkette pause in her rant. "We'll explain the best we can once this is over."

Appeased, Lightning let the matter drop.

"Sis, let me help you." Lightning had to double blink when the brunette's handguns disappeared only for two missile launchers to appear in the shorter girl's gloved hands. "My weapons are fully loaded! Grandaddy was right about this world!"

"You _are_ helping me, Rainy." Averia grinned. "Now do as I say. We'll be back soon." She turned to regard her new companion. "Ready, Selene?"

"I was almost put to death by your meaningless chatter." She ignored the two glares she received. "Nevertheless, you need to guard my back more than adequately. I do hope your title as the Commander of SeeD is not merely an engraving on a worthless plate."

"I've got your back." The strawberry blonde SeeD smiled disarmingly. "Let's ATTAAAAAAAAAACK!"

Watching the two go, the SeeD Commander materializing an unfamiliar gunblade, modeled similar to Squall's, and tearing into those manikins that thought the one-woman vanguard was easy picking. Selene was floating behind the strawberry blonde, keeping up with her while occasionally stopping her foe's movements, her hands rippling with a type of magick that made Lightning's eyes narrow suspiciously, as those motions she waved her appendages with were eerily similar to those of a certain time witch.

And the l'Cie didn't know if that was such a good thing or not.

"What the _hell_ just happened?" Lightning questioned the remaining girl heatedly.

"Hmph." Raine's rocket launchers vanished in a shimmer of light and the trigger-happy teen spun on her heel to point a displeased finger at the perplexed l'Cie. "Sis is too popular for her own good!" She folded her arms with an annoyed huff. "You have to do something about that!"

Despite the irritation in the brunette's tone, Lightning couldn't feel any of the usual trace of anger inside of her to lash out like she normally would.

Weird.

"Why me?"

"Because-!"

Another explosion rocked the clearing, and both soldiers' identical eyes were drawn to the pillars of fire and columns of whirling winds that growled angrily throughout the battlefield.

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><p><strong>AN:** Random crack is random~~~ I'm, once again, lacking inspiration to write anything lately, so apologies for the delays in LTRA. I know what I'm supposed to write, but I can't muster the words I want to write it.

I've got a few ideas for a few more SCE's, but I'll see if I can at least muster the will to type them out.

This piece _**is not**_ meant to be taken seriously, and I'll continue it whenever I feel like it.

The main idea behind this side-project is one of two 'time travel' scenarios I cooked up ages back, when Overhaul and I were discussing about the multitude of time-travel fanfiction in the Naruto section (there still are!), and how I can screw around with the basic premise of that genre.

For those wondering, the typical setup of Naruto time-travel fics has Naruto traveling back into the past because of some random scroll/sealing Jutsu/Kyubi, gains godly powers, usually in the form of some bloodline, typically in its ultimate form, where he bitch-slaps ANBUs and the Hokages at the age of one because he, apparently, was a Kage-level shinobi in the future, and screws around with the timeline (that oddly enough still follows the normal sequence of events in the manga), all the while banging every girl with a decent face and figure like sex was going out of style because they suddenly became attracted to this midget of a kid. Mind you, as in most cases, there are some noteworthy exceptions where this genre is actually done believably.

Thanks to those that reviewed _Trust_ and _Oathkeeper_!

Stalker's Log fans, Traingham has updated! Speaking of which, Traingham, if you're reading this, I'd like you to answer this question: if Fuujin ever does get together with Squall in your Stalker's Log, would their offspring be a boy or a girl?


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